Tag Archives: Sigfox

Italy is the second major kiwi producer after China with a saleable production around 448.000 tonnes last year. Both countries with New Zealand, Chile and Greece suppose the 93% of worldwide production by a research of the Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO).

The CSO informed in 2015 that the grow surface for kiwi on the Mediterranean country was 24.440 ha, most of them in the regions of Lazio, Pedemont and Emilia Romagna.

Emilia Romagna Region (Italy)

FAMOSA is an Italian company that works on technology-based support for agriculture, offering solutions for crop monitoring and management. They have developed wireless sensor networks, based on Libelium technology, in a kiwi plantation with GPRS and Sigfox to develop accurate irrigation strategies for farmers.

Comparing GPRS to Sigfox

Kiwifruit is one of the most sensitive fruits in terms of quality which is given by size, sweetness and dry matter. In order to reach the best quality, the Rivista di Frutticoltura e di Ortofloricoltura considers that it is essential for farmers to develop a good irrigation strategy to attain marketable products and to reduce product losses.

Agriculture organizations are deploying cutting-edge technologies in their plantations to improve processes, to maintain high quality standards and to ease farmers daily works. “We have chosen Libelium Waspmote Plug & Sense! Sensor Platform for its wide range of sensors and the easy development of software for data acquisition and transmission”, has stated Massimo Noferini, CEO of FAMOSA.

Waspmote Plug & Sense! installed in kiwi plantation

For this project, the company has installed two different wireless sensors to monitor soil water status to plan irrigation in a kiwi orchard. Data has been recorded with the same system but information has been transmitted to the platform by two different wireless connection: GPRS and Sigfox. The main aim has been testing reliability and costs during 2016 kiwi growing season.

Two Waspmote Plug & Sense! Smart Agriculture have been deployed with watermark sensors in different depths to control soil moisture with fruit diameter sensor to measure the size of the fruit; and temperature and humidity sensors to monitor environmental conditions. One of the sensor platforms is connected to a GPRS shield and the other with Sigfox. The first one represents the classical widely used data communication network and the second one the rapidly diffusing LPWAN technologies.

The information collected by the sensors has been sent to esiFARM, FAMOSA’s platform, that includes both GPRS and Sigfox technologies. To manage GPRS stations however a server has had to be configured. In this case Meshlium IoT Gateway has been used embedding Meshlium Management System making data handling easier. Farmers can get valuable information to schedule irrigation timing to avoid stress conditions, which is fundamental on kiwi plants.

Functioning diagram of the FAMOSA deployment

FAMOSA has detected some differences between both technologies after the deployment:

GPRS:

A server is needed to host data that has to be maintained by the local services.

There must be GPRS/3G/4G coverage.

It is needed power consumption hardware because GPRS node requires a long-duration battery pack or external power supply. The hardware needs to stay awake for a long-time and requires a longer communication session.

It needs a SIM card that usually takes some days to be activated. Even if international SIM cards are available, there is a strong dependence to a contract which make connections liable to changes and reliability.

It dumps data to a unique service which is accessible worldwide: data can be managed autonomously or by an intermediate service.

Coverage is already diffused in Italy so it is not available everywhere although it is rapidly growing worldwide.

It doesn’t need a handshake step with the network, while based on an acknowledge response.

Communication is very short and allows the device to stay dormant for a long time allowing a much longer duration to batteries.

Registration is quicker than GPRS, based on an annual fee.

Fruit diameter sensor

The final user has not been aware nor suffered the difference between the communication through GPRS or Sigfox. Battery pack proved to have a life long enough to cover the season both in Sigfox and GPRS devices. In general, any field deployment should be as simple as possible and have a ready and reliable answer during installation tests.

Precision Farming to make smart irrigation decisions

Developing technological projects in rural areas may involve several difficulties because of the absence of physical communication infrastructures and the costs which are often unaffordable. However, wireless sensor networks suppose a great opportunity because of the low installation, maintenance and also operative costs.

esiFARM platform

FAMOSA is collaborating with farmers to introduce the IoT approach with esiFARM in their fields. The platform allows to collect information from the sensor platforms and other information sources such as georeferenced cameras pictures or multispectral analysis of satellite imagery. EsiFARM includes models to help farmers in decision and alerts (irrigation, pathogens and maturation).

“Farmers were impressed by the ease of the installation, which proved to be able to give real-time and comprehensive information in less than one hour of full installation”, has argued Massimo Noferini, CEO of FAMOSA. During 2016 season between March and October the decision support system has worked well and continuously. Farmers have been able to monitor without interruptions soil water status to have irrigation always under control.

Kiwi crops in Emilia Romagna

The deployment of soil water status sensors at different depths has allowed to compare the effect of irrigation strategies. Farmers have had a prompt warning about any water stress condition to recover from a growth deficit. In this kiwi project, the irrigation system was activated by the farmer.

San Francisco and Colorado are the first North American regions with smart water and smart environment projects deployed with Libelium’s technology connected to LPWAN protocols.

Libelium continues powering the Internet of Things (IoT) development adding LoRaWANand Sigfox wireless connectivity for North America to Waspmote OEM and Waspmote Plug and Sense! sensor devices. San Francisco is one of the first cities to deploy this technology, where Libelium is already developing a Smart Water project with Sigfox and San Francisco County. In Colorado, Libelium technology is also enhancing new projects to monitor weather and environment conditions with LoRaWAN connectivity.

Libelium keeps offering the widest interoperability in the great array of connectivity choices for the IoT. The company is joining forces with LoRaWAN and Sigfox global network in response to strong demand for low-energy, long-range and cost efficient IoT connectivity in North America. In terms of network coverage, Semtech is partnering with Comcast to deploy LoRaWAN networks in 30 cities while Sigfox is expanding its network to 100 US cities.

Libelium Waspmote Plug & Sense! available in US for LoraWAN and Sigfox

“We are successfully offering these protocols in their European version since 2015 and checking its viability for environment, pollution, water quality and smart parking applications. We strongly believe that making them available in their American version will speed up market adoption in the 900 MHz markets” states Alicia Asín, Libelium’s CEO.

Customers can make their choice of LPWAN preferred protocol for Waspmote Plug & Sense! in 900MHz or 868MHz bands -depending on geographic destination- when ordering except for Smart Parking model, where both radios (LoRaWAN / Sigfox) are always included. “We have managed to offer a dual radio in our Smart Parking node at a very competitive price, which increases our customers’ options, one of our design principles. They can compare the performance of both technologies in one installation, work in hybrid networks or change from one to another easily from the Cloud. We consider this kind of features crucial to keep a healthy and competitive IoT landscape” explains Asín.

With this update, Libelium IoT Sensor Platform is ready to use the 900-930 MHz band forthe U.S., Canada, Mexico, Singapore, etc. The platform currently includes FCC and IC certifications for the US and Canada.

Operator Vodafone promises to roll out NB-IoT tech across “multiple markets” in 2017, a fillip for the low power wide area (LPWA) cellular technology that is facing strong competition from proprietary rivals such as Ingenu, LoRa and Sigfox.

Vodafone’s commitment is significant as the NB-IoT standard is not yet fully ratified (expected this summer) and rival offerings (using unlicensed spectrum) have stolen a march on efforts to deploy low-cost IoT networks that only need to support low data rates, providing functions from sensor monitoring to asset tracking.

“NB-IoT operates in licensed spectrum and that is important to us at Vodafone because we need to deliver a high quality experience to our customers,” wrote Erik Brenneis, Vodafone’s IoT group director, in a blog. Taking a further swipe at the likes of Sigfox and friends, he claimed that “the alternative, using unlicensed spectrum, risks disruption to the signal from other technologies trying to use the same frequencies.”

To support its attempt to create a community of NB-IoT developers, Vodafone has opened what it claims is the world’s first NB-IoT open lab, in Newbury, UK, the first of several planned across the globe.

Vodafone operates in around 30 countries and partners with networks in over 50 more.

Industry support
Brenneis also called for closer collaboration between traditional mobile players: “To bring this exciting technology to market, the industry now needs to focus on rapid trials and to help customers to quickly and easily add NB-IoT to their products.”

While Huawei has been one of the main vendor drivers of NB-IoT, it has also seen support from chipset players including Qualcomm, Intel and HiSilicon; module makers such as U-blox, Telit, Sierra and Gemalto; and network rivals Ericsson and Nokia.

However, some operators are hedging their bets on which LPWA tech to support. For example,Altice’s SFR is deploying Sigfoxwhile rivalsBouyguesandOrangehave opted for LoRa. Orange has at least suggested it would keep its options open regarding its technology of choice for IoT development in the future.

New Smart Parking by Libelium includes Double Radio with LoRaWAN and Sigfox.

Today at Intertraffic, Libelium has presented the new version of Waspmote Plug&Sense! Smart Parking, the solution for Smart Cities that allows citizensto detect available parking spots.

The new device iseasier and cheaper to deployas it is mounted on the road surface. Unlike most market versions, it does not need to dig a hole in the ground for installation reducing installation time from 30 to 5 minutes and allowing to be replaced by another unit in case of maintenance in just 10 minutes.

The new device has a smaller size -reduced over 50%-, higher accuracy and reliability, and faster time of detection. Besides, temperature does not affect the behaviour of readings.

New sensor system isfully compatible with LPWANradio technologies –LoRaWANandSigfox– to enable long range and low power consumption. It can be connected with both radios for the European 868 MHz band and for the 900-930 MHz band (US/Canada). One unique feature of the system is that it allows to use both radio technologies at the same time or change from one to another easily from the Cloud.

With the new sensor system, one base station can give service to thousands of devices around a range of several kilometers in urban environment. This fact provides lower costs of installation since the number ofbase stations can be dramatically reduced. Besides, the new sensor model has been optimized for really low-power operation, so the battery lifetime is extendedup to 10 yearseasily.

The new parking node has been certified with the CE/FCC/IC marks and provides a robust softwarewhich works out-of-the-box. Developers do not need to programme the nodes but specify the values of key parameters in the firmware such as working cycle or night mode to be ready to work.Remote management and bidirectional communicationallows to change several parameters of the nodes from the Cloud. This means that thousands of nodes can be reprogrammed just setting the right values from our web browser in the management platform.

Altice N.V. (Euronext: ATC, ATCB), an international telecom and media group, its subsidiary SFR, the second-largest French global telecommunications operator, and SIGFOX, the world’s leading provider of global communications service for the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced they will integrate SIGFOX connectivity in the group’s service offering in France and internationally. Altice customers and divisions in France and internationally will benefit from SIGFOX Connectivity, which complements the group’s telecom offer.

This strategic partnership launches a collaboration of three players that share the same ambitions: to offer complementary connectivity solutions starting today that democratize the IoT in all sectors of the economy and expand the offer of connected solutions for businesses and consumers.

With its focus on investing in growth, Altice is building an international group based on the convergence of mobile and fixed high-speed networks with media, content and platform services in Western Europe (comprising France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland), the United States, Israel, and the Overseas Territories (currently comprising the French Caribbean, the Indian Ocean regions and the Dominican Republic).

SIGFOX, whose network is deployed in 14 countries and already registers more than 7 million devices, offers an energy-efficient, two-way global communication solution for the millions of sensors waiting to be connected.

“We are convinced that the IoT market is an opportunity to seize now, with a global vision,” said Michel Combes, COO of Altice, Chairman and CEO of SFR. “We are talking about billions of connections. We share the same entrepreneurial vision with SIGFOX and the will to conquer new markets. The availability of the SIGFOX network allows us to bring new Internet of Things solutions to our B2B clients.”

“SIGFOX has always been convinced that the IoT requires a new type of connectivity solution, and that our offer would not compete with services offered by cellular operators,” said Ludovic Le Moan, CEO of SIGFOX. “We are excited and proud to join Altice and its founder Patrick Drahi, to share this vision, and especially to realize the ambition to make the IoT a major activity for the development of both companies.”

In France, where the network already covers 92% of the population, this partnership will allow the customers of SFR, the first operator to launch the fourth generation (4G) of mobile telecom technology in France and an expert in M2M solutions, to benefit from the best of the two offers: high bandwidth and low bandwidth. SFR clients will use SIGFOX connectivity as a complement to existing connectivity solutions, such as 4G or WiFi.

In 2016, SIGFOX plans to cover more than 30 countries with its network. The partnership with Altice will extend in all territories where the group is present, including Portugal with Portugal Telecom, the U.S. and Israel.

The Internet of Things addresses all business sectors and has opened a new space that will help launch many startups. This collaboration will extend this innovation ecosystem and will help develop the supply of connected solutions in multiple sectors, such as industry, agriculture, healthcare, transportation and security.

In France, SIGFOX supports a startup community within the IoT Valley and its accelerator, the Connected Camp, which has around 30 startups today. This community is getting stronger everyday through meetings with developers organized by SIGFOX, and the Makers Tours in France and internationally.

Today, there are more than 100 connected devices compatible with the SIGFOX network and Altice will help grow this portfolio with the help of its industrial clients and the startups supported by SIGFOX.

Wireless Logic M2M/IoT Managed Services Provider set to be first UK reseller of Arqiva’s SIGFOX network

Arqiva, the UK’s leading communications infrastructure and media services company, has today announced a new partnership with machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions provider Wireless Logic. The partnership, which will see Wireless Logic become Arqiva’s first UK reseller of SIGFOX low power, wide area connectivity, represents another step in Arqiva’s journey of enabling organisations to unlock the promise of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Under the terms of the partnership agreement, Arqiva and Wireless Logic will work together to introduce SIGFOX connectivity and solutions to Wireless Logic’s extensive customer base, as a further enhancement to its award-winning existing portfolio of connectivity and IoT offerings.

SIGFOX connectivity helps remove the barriers to large scale rollouts by delivering low cost, low power connectivity for IoT devices. Integrating this capability into the Wireless Logic offering opens up a wealth of new opportunities for businesses who previously deemed IoT solutions or services too costly or technically unviable to launch.

Jon-Paul Clarke, Business Development Director at Wireless Logic, said: “We are delighted to add the capabilities of Arqiva’s SIGFOX network to the Wireless Logic communications portfolio. This new addition to our service offering will complement our existing offerings and continue to deliver compelling propositions and value-added services to new and existing customers.”

With access to over 30 Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and satellite carriers, as well as Arqiva SIGFOX connectivity, Wireless Logic offers a complete range of platform solutions to organisations seeking one or multiple networks with a suite of managed services to deliver resilient and secure M2M communications.

Sean Weir, Director Smart & M2M at Arqiva, said: “The Internet of Things holds vast potential for businesses looking to leverage the benefits hyper-connectivity has to offer, and we’re looking forward to seeing the market go from strength to strength. What we’ve seen so far however is that IoT clearly needs a far-reaching, low power wide area network to operate across to make this happen – just like the one we’re providing.”

Weir continued: “Wireless Logic has a strong portfolio of customers across multiple verticals, all using IoT in different ways, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them to deliver even more IoT possibilities through our SIGFOX technology.”

The Arqiva SIGFOX network is already accessible by 30 per cent of the UK population across 11 major cities and 54 towns, including Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield.

TALIS and SIGFOX has announced that TALIS will use the SIGFOX network in its new smart-city fire hydrant monitoring solution.

Called COPERNIC, the solution allows water utility officials and companies to monitor the status of thousands of fire hydrants 24/7 to assure proper functioning and protect against water theft. It provides real-time alerts when the fire hydrants are being used, along with estimates of volume drawn, data on hydrant functioning and other information that supports total network efficiency.

COPERNIC allows real-time monitoring of fire hydrants by time-stamping all data related to hydrant functioning. An electronic module installed on the hydrant sends SMS or email alerts via the SIGFOX network when the hydrant is being opened, closed, tampered with or is not functioning properly. In addition, all data are instantly available on a web portal, and a mobile app for smartphones and tablets is available to read data and receive alerts in the field.

COPERNIC was developed by the TALIS Group unit, BAYARD in Meyzieu, France, which specialises in fire and pipe-protection systems, gates, water treatment and butterfly valves, fluid control, joint connectors for pipelines and pipe connections. BAYARD has applied for a patent for COPERNIC.

“COPERNIC illustrates our commitment to providing cost-effective solutions that enable cities and municipal water suppliers to easily implement smart programms that reduce costs and improve services,” said Hervé Dumont, head of marketing at TALIS. “The SIGFOX network is the obvious choice to connect thousands of hydrants to the Internet of Things, because there is no network infrastructure to be deployed during installation of the fire hydrants. In addition, the network offers low energy consumption, reduced costs, easy integration and, most of all, comprehensive coverage in France.”

SIGFOX’s cellular, ultra-narrowband (UNB) network has been exclusively designed for small messages that will meet the needs of the vast majority of objects connected to the IoT. By providing economical, energy-efficient two-way transmission of data, SIGFOX is lowering barriers to wide implementation of IoT and M2M solutions, and greatly extending the battery and service life of connected devices. COPERNIC runs on lithium batteries that have an estimated lifetime of 10 years.

“The SIGFOX network, with its ‘plug-and-play’ connectivity, low cost and low power consumption will enable the COPERNIC solution to efficiently deliver a wide range of essential data to water-management officials in real time,” said Stuart Lodge, SIGFOX executive vice president for global sales. “TALIS’s choice of the SIGFOX network is another demonstration of the key role SIGFOX is playing in the development of smart cities today, while other proposed networks are still in the development stage.”

Arqiva are building a UK network dedicated to the Internet of Things

Arqiva’s investment will also connect the UK to SIGFOX’s global IoT network, strengthening their position as a leading provider of machine-to-machine connectivity services

Arqiva are building and running a national Internet of Things (IoT) network, starting with 10 of the UK’s largest cities. To enable this they have partnered with SIGFOX, a pioneer in cost-effective, energy-efficient Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity.The new network, which will use SIGFOX technology and connect the UK to the SIGFOX global IoT network, will unlock substantial economic benefits and support innovative new services for smarter homes and cities.

SIGFOX’s ultra-narrowband technology is particularly suited to connecting objects over long distances where a long battery life and low cost are required. By becoming the SIGFOX Network Operator in the UK, Arqiva have strengthened their position as a leading provider of machine-to-machine connectivity services.

“Arqiva has the unique breadth of capabilities needed to meet evolving machine-to-machine connectivity requirements across the UK. We already run satellite, WiFi, and long-range radio networks, providing full managed services where required. Our smart metering communications service, connecting 10 million homes using long-range radio technology, will be one of the UK’s largest machine-to-machine deployments.”

“Our partnership with SIGFOX, and the new dedicated Internet of Things network we are building, will provide nationwide low-power connectivity for the first time. Low-power consumption allows batteries and equipment to last longer, avoiding the cost and inconvenience of replacing devices. This massively expands the range of devices that can be connected, increasing the benefits to consumers and businesses alike.”

Hundreds of on-going SIGFOX partner projects are able to take advantage of the network’s integrated global distribution channel, allowing the same device to operate in any country where SIGFOX is deployed. SIGFOX networks are currently deployed in France, the Netherlands and Spain, as well as in several cities in other countries, including Moscow, and Munich. Many major international businesses are already customers.

Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, Vice President Network and Business Development of SIGFOX, commented:

“The UK has an active, fast-growing Internet of Things market, and our partnership with Arqiva is a significant part of SIGFOX’s plan to establish a global cellular network dedicated to the IoT. According to some forecasts, there will be 50 billion connected devices worldwide by 2020, but for this to become a reality, both cost and energy use will have to come down. That’s the solution SIGFOX offers, and we’re proud that Arqiva is bringing it to the UK.”

The dedicated IoT network will be rolled out nationwide, starting with ten major UK cities: